Portugal's Enchanting, Castle-Capped Surfer Town Boasts Some Of Best Waves And Coastal Hikes In The Algarve

Portugal's southern Algarve region is a sun-kissed mecca for holidaymakers. It gets a whopping 300 days of Vitamin D each year and is home to one of the world's prettiest beaches. Plus, it hosts major resorts like Quinta do Lago and Vilamoura. What a lot of people don't know is that there's a whole other side to the Algarve; a rocky, wave-splashed western coast with epic surf, cliff-backed bays, and the enthralling castle-topped town of Aljezur.

With its olive-tree-dotted hills draped along a wide river estuary, capped by a limpet-like castle from the 10^th century, and woven with narrow alleys of crooked cobblestone and painted cottages, Aljezur is one pretty town. It's not just its good looks that makes little Aljezur so popular. It is also considered one of the top surfing hotspots in the country for its proximity to pristine beaches with consistent breaks.

Wanderlust sufficiently stoked? We thought so. The best way to get to Aljezur is to fly into the Faro International Airport (FAO) — from there, it's just over an hour's drive across the Algarve. Another option is to jet into Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), and drive for about three hours. Though a longer journey, you can start your Portugal getaway by exploring the capital city — here's everything you need to know if you're visiting Lisbon for the first time. 

Aljezur is one of those villages that really gets under your skin — in a good way. It offers quintessential Algarve beauty, with lush hills looming on one side, the ocean on the other, and a charming enclave filled with centuries-old buildings. Simply wandering the slender backstreets is a joy. You'll happen upon chapels from the 1500s and babbling water fountains, with people-watching opportunities aplenty.

No landmark stands out more than the great Moorish castle on the hill, the Castle of Aljezur. It crowns a ridge right in the heart of the Aljezur old quarter, just as it has done in some shape or form since the age of the Romans! The well-preserved ruins seen today are left over from the era of Arab rule in Iberia. They offer a perfect vantage point during sunset, with views that look east to the mountains and west across the coastal hills past rice paddies and farms.

But, ancient as it is, Aljezur buzzes with life. The town has a regular market that happens on the first Sunday of each month. It's a hubbub of activity, where you can shop for local veggies, fruits, home-dried oregano, and more. There are creative eateries dotting the center, in the form of the sourdough-only pizza joint Arte Bianca, for example. And you'll find a peppering of well-stocked surf shops with board racks, threads, and gear in stock.

These days, Aljezur stands out for its closeness to some of the best surfing beaches in the whole of the Algarve. It's become a bona fide surf town, with plenty of resident surfers to prove it. You will have to drive out to the beaches to find the waves, but there are stacks within 20 minutes of the town.

Praia da Arrifana is perhaps the most famous of the bunch. It's no more than a 15 minutes' drive from Aljezur and reigns as one of the most beginner-friendly beaches in the region. It boasts long, sand-bottomed breaks, beachside cafes, and plenty of parking on the clifftop. About the same distance but a little to the north is Praia da Amoreira, a seriously gorgeous beach cut through by a river, where a mix of big bomb waves and smaller learner waves prevail, depending on the swell size. North again is the cliffside village of Praia de Odeceixe, another white-painted surf town with generally fewer surfers competing for waves.

If getting salty is not your thing, don't sweat it. Aljezur is also a fine stepping stone into the Costa Vicentina, a protected natural area that runs for 62 miles down Portugal's coast. It's laced with incredible walking paths that meander through meadows, along coastal cliffs, and onto headlands that overlook shimmering beaches bashed by waves.